Protesting for Change
by
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Mr. Banner told us to join him on the carpet for a restorative circle. He asked, “Who can tell us what happened last night?” Lilah said, “People were protesting because another Black person got killed.” “The police killed him,” said Dariya. “My mom told me the police said he was reaching for a gun, but he didn't have one,” Jabari added. “Yeah, they shot him. I'm sad,” said Aria. “Why did they shoot him?” asked Jamari. “One of the reasons may be they thought he did something wrong just because of the color of his skin. Sometimes, white people, including police think Black people look suspicious.” Ava said, “That's wrong. Just because someone is Black, people shouldn't think they did something bad.” “It's not fair,” responded Jarell. “You're right. It's not fair and that is why people were protesting," said Mr. Banner.
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About the Book
After a night of protests, Morgan and her classmates discuss their emotions of the events that led up to the protest. Mr. Banner helps to answer their questions, explain the protest, and provide information on the message of the protest. At home, Morgan's brother, Antoine explains that in Ms. Smith's class they compared the Civil Rights Movement protests to last night's protest. Ms. Smith emphasized the importance of learning from ancestors and past protests to make demands and change in today's protests. This story was written to help facilitate the discussion, often times a difficult discussion, of protests and police brutality, with children. The beginning of the story discusses the issues with early elementary students in a restorative circle format. The end focuses on discussing the issue with older children.
About the Author
Teaching for two decades, Cody Elizabeth Handy, has a unique perspective on children’s thoughts and learning that shines through her relatable characters. She portrays real-life triumphs, dialogues, and struggles of children. She hopes her stories facilitate conversations with teachers and students or parents and their children. Cody Elizabeth Handy is an aunt, an early elementary teacher in Baltimore City, and a Baltimore Ceasefire Ambassador.